The MY House Podcast Ep. 71: Dimi & Casey - The ChickalooniesThe MY House Podcast Ep. 71: Dimi & Casey - The Chickaloonies
The MY House Podcast Network
Dimi and Casey share how Chickaloonies grew from Athabascan stories and childhood drawing into a collaborative comic series that centres youth voices. The conversation highlights their work with Alaska communities, their creative philosophy and the launch of their third graphic novel, Rebel Road.
13:24•19 Aug 2026
Chickaloonies, Collaboration and Kids’ Creativity at MY House
Episode Overview
- Representation and locally rooted stories are vital for young people in the Mat-Su Valley and across Alaska.
- Chickaloonies grew from traditional yanida stories and childhood drawing into a modern Athabascan-inspired comic series.
- Dimi and Casey treat collaboration as their guiding principle, focusing on giving kids space to create and use their own voices.
- Their work extends beyond books through tours to schools, museums and non-profits, offering interactive art and storytelling sessions.
- Book three, Rebel Road, continues the Chickaloonies saga with new characters and settings, while reflecting real connections with Alaskan communities.
“Our philosophy is that collaboration is the key of everything, and we’re showing kids that their voice is important, their imagination is important, their ideas are valid.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of creativity, culture and community in Alaska. This chat brings together MY House’s Isaac Smolden and co-host Lily with Dimi and Casey, the creative team behind the Chickaloonies graphic novels, for a fun, fast-paced conversation about storytelling and kids’ imaginations. Dimi shares how it all started in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, growing up near Sutton and attending the Ya’anidaa tribal school founded by his grandmother, who was also a clan storyteller.
Those early days of listening to “yanida stories” and sketching characters turned into a lifelong love of comics and Athabascan mythology. As he puts it, those traditional tales were “our mythology… each of these stories had a lesson.” Casey jumps in to explain how the duo eventually formed a comic company, then shaped Chickaloonies into what it is now: a graphic novel series inspired by manga, Athabascan culture and a lot of goofy energy.
Their work doesn’t stop at books either. They tour “like a band”, visiting schools, libraries and non-profits, running workshops, painting murals and performing live storytelling sessions.
A big highlight is their philosophy: “collaboration is the key of everything.” They see themselves less as artists and more as people who “provide a place to be able to draw and create and do things in your own way, use your own voice.” That means helping kids see that their ideas matter, whether that’s through cardboard costumes, comics, or a shared character created on the spot.
You’ll also hear about their role as featured storytellers at the Alaska State Fair, their interactive ‘Create a Character with the Chickaloonies’ sessions, and the launch of book three, ‘Rebel Road’. If you care about youth, creativity and giving kids a safe place to express themselves, this conversation might spark a few ideas of your own. Who could you encourage to tell their story today?
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